To Improve Supportive Care for Patients Taking Oral Anticancer Agents.

Oral anticancer agents (OAA) are increasingly prescribed to treat cancer because they are flexible and convenient to use. However, managing complex OAA regimens and life-threatening toxicities at home can be challenging for patients and their caregivers. It is urgent to better understand the supportive care needs for OAA and develop novel approaches to facilitating self-management and communicating about OAA. Guided by the chronic care model (CCM), we conducted a grounded theory-based study to analyze OAA-related online discussions and potential mHealth interventions. We found that patients and caregivers commonly used the online community to share personal experiences and concerns, exchange emotional and informational support, identify relevant resources, and obtain benefits of peer coaching. The findings deepen the understanding of the needs for OAA self-management and mHealth interventions, contributing to the development of mHealth models to enhance supportive care and improve communication among peer patients and between patients and providers.